Erythrosine Adsorption from Aqueous Solution via Decorated Graphene Oxide with Magnetic Iron Oxide Nano Particles: Kinetic and Equilibrium Studies

Abstract

In this research, first graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized using modified Hummers method and thence via a multi-step procedure, surface of GO was decorated with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (GO-Fe₃O₄). Thereafter, developed nanoparticles were characterized using FTIR, XRD and SEM analyses and their magnetic properties confirmed using VSM analysis. Moreover, performance of the GO-Fe₃O₄ for the removal and adsorption of Erythrosine dye from the aqueous solution under variable conditions including pH, phosphate buffer solution (PBS), adsorbent content, stirring time, electrolyte concentration, solution content and temperature were examined. In this regard, for obtained solutions from the chicken slaughterhouse and hospital sewage disposal system containing 20, 50 and 70 mg mL^-1 Erythrosine dye, GO-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles adsorbed from approximately 94 % to 97 % of the total dye, respectively. What is more, the highest adsorption capacity was obtained at 149.25 mg/g by means of Langmuir model. The obtained results clearly showed that GO-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles present a fabulous performance for the absorption and removal of dyes form disposal systems.